Cuttack, Aug. 22: Orissa High Court has expressed dissatisfaction over the state government's compliance report mentioning that it would name an SCB ward after Italian national Sebastian Rosario Contiguglia, who had died at the hospital nearly three years ago.

The 63-year-old Italian national had been under treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital for over a fortnight and died of multiple organ failure at the hospital on December 14, 2012. Sebastian had been admitted with encephalitis, and later, he developed septicaemia.

A voluntary organisation, Sevak, had filed a PIL alleging that the Italian tourist's death had been caused due to negligence in treatment.

Yesterday, principal secretary of the health and family welfare department Arti Ahuja filed the compliance report in the court and stated in it that the state government would name the isolation ward in the under-construction central intensive care unit (ICU) after Sebastian.

In the affidavit, Ahuja stated a 30-bed central ICU was under construction on the 5th floor of the casualty and trauma care centre.

While the civil work, including electrification and air-conditioning, is almost completed, the process to procure the equipment is also on through the Odisha State Medical Corporation.

"Once the equipment are received and the ICU is functional, a separate isolation ward consisting of two beds in the central ICU will be carved out and named after Italian national Sebastian Rosario Contiguglia," Ahuja stated in the affidavit.

But, the division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice D.P. Choudhury expressed dissatisfaction over the affidavit and directed the health and family welfare department secretary to file another compliance report by September 21, while fixing the next day for hearing on the matter.

The court expected the report with details regarding destitute patients, who had been provided with attendants, and the details of those being provided with rehabilitation (along with names of attendants and the rehabilitating institution).

In the affidavit, Ahuja stated that the hospital had no separate ward for destitute and unattended patients. However, depending on the disease, the unattended patients are admitted to different wards and due care is taken by providing them with attendants and free medicines.

"The destitute patients after their discharge from the hospital are being provided rehabilitation through old-age homes, short-stay homes, child care institutions, special schools, according to their need," Ahuja stated in the affidavit.

While disposing of the PIL on March 31, the high court had asked the state government to come up with a separate care-taking ward for the unattended and unidentified patients at the SCB hospital. The petition had sought the court's direction to the state government to provide medical treatment to the destitute, persons abandoned by family, unidentified accident victims and patients without attendants at the hospital.

In the order, the division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice B.N. Mohapatra had said: "Since this writ application came to be filed due to the death of Sebastian Rosario Contiguglia, this court directs that the isolation ward in the central ICU be named in his memory to ensure that persons suffering from infectious diseases can be taken care of in the ICU, and we feel it would serve the best memory of the diseased."